Paul and Gary O’Donovan have become global stars famed for their laid back, ultra-Irish interviews from Rio.RTE

Paul and Gary O’Donovan, aged 23 and 22, were just two country lads from West Cork a week or so ago, who had managed to qualify for the lightweight sculling heat in the Rio Olympics. Now they are being featured in GQ the ultimate men’s style magazine and hailed as stars of the Olympics.

Then the two likely lads qualified for the final and were just pipped for the gold medal as O’Donovan brothers frenzy broke out all over Ireland after what one could only call some classic Irish interviews they gave, including one where they marvelled they could eat steak and spuds all day at the Olympic village.

They came across as such natural cliche free guys that the nation fell in love with them. One of their interviews got no fewer than 4.1 million Facebook likes - an incredible feat.

Now they have even surpassed that with GQ Magazine stating in a headline Irish Rowers give an interview win the whole dang Olympics.”

Ireland is gasping to have their unlikely heroes home but they have decided to head straight to Rotterdam for the World Sculling championship on August 21 before returning.

No doubt they will rock the world there too.

Here are extracts from GQ piece by Jack Moore:

“Paul and Gary O’Donovan are a pair of Irish brothers and Olympic rowers who did their nation proud by bringing home the silver medal. So they did what any Olympic heroes would do, they gave an interview to a television network back home. But unlike most Olympic interviews, this one had no clichés about the triumph of the spirit or how they owe it all to God. No, this interview was all about peeing, pizza, and how no matter how fake the background behind them looked, it was totally real.

“I'm a fan of any athletes who seem to be in on the joke of how ridiculous Olympic coverage can be, so as far as I'm concerned they should all take a page out of the O'Donovans' handbook. Tell us about how much you had to drink so you could pee for your doping test. Tell us about what you've been eating. Tell us how you got to put on your "podium pants" and how you "saw the mother and the father." I'll take this to shouting out sponsors any day of the week.”